Stable Support Element For An Active Ingredient For Treating A Piece Of Clothing

ABSTRACT

A support element for an active ingredient for treating a piece of clothing, the support element being designed to have hot steam flowing therethrough transversely to a main extension plane and to enrich the steam with the active ingredient in the process. The invention is characterized in that the support element has a structure-stabilizing frame extending in the main plane and at least two chambers which are separated from one another, the active ingredient being stored in at least one of the chambers.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a support element for an active ingredient for treating a piece of clothing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the unpublished German patent application DE 10 2018 222 295, a functional element is described that can be inserted into a receiving space of an attachment that is mounted on a steam outlet opening of a steam generator. The hot steam from the steam generator flows through the planar support element transversely or perpendicularly to a main extension plane thereof. When flowing through the steam-permeable support element, the steam is enriched with the active ingredient, for example in the form of a fragrance, contained in the support element, immediately before said steam hits the piece of clothing. The piece of clothing can thus be easily refreshed by the steam, so that more complex washing or cleaning of the piece of clothing can be postponed.

The support element of DE 10 2018 222 295 has a textile fabric (steamer pad) into which the active ingredient is filled in the form of a granulate. When flowing through the fabric, the active ingredient is released and carried along by the steam.

The textile fabric (or pad) has a soft structure without significant inherent stability, so that it can be deformed or even folded when it is inserted into the receiving space of the attachment and then does not lie properly in the receiving space. Also, due to gravity, for example, an uneven distribution of the granulate can develop within the textile fabric, so that desired release of active ingredient is not achieved when the steamer flows through the fabric. In addition, the active ingredient tends to clump or stick together if it is distributed in the fabric on one side, because, for example in a region where the density of the granulate is too high, a sufficient flow rate of the steam can no longer be achieved. Ultimately, one-sided distribution of the solid active ingredient within the attachment can lead to instances of flow misdirection which promote undesired condensation of the hot steam in the attachment.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is therefore based on the object of providing a planar support element for an active ingredient for treating a piece of clothing, which element can be arranged in an attachment for a steam generator and allows simple and efficient treatment of the piece of clothing.

The problem addressed by the invention is solved by the combination of features according to the appended claims. Embodiments of the invention can also be found in the appended claims.

According to the invention it is provided that the support element has a structure-stabilizing frame extending in the main plane and at least two chambers which are separated from one another, the active ingredient being stored in at least one of the chambers. More than three chambers are preferably provided, of which active ingredient is stored in at least two.

The frame gives the support element a certain stability, which simplifies its handling. Due to the increased stability, the support element can also be positioned more easily and clearly within the receiving space of the attachment, so that an undesired incorrect position within the receiving space can be practically ruled out. If the (solid) active ingredient is stored in a plurality of chambers, the risk of the active ingredient being distributed too unevenly within the support element is reduced. Using the multi-chamber system proposed here, different active ingredients can also be stored, the common storage of which in only one chamber could lead to problems during storage due to certain mutual incompatibilities of active ingredients. In addition, the multi-chamber system offers the possibility of assigning different functionalities to the individual chambers. For example, one or more chambers can store the active ingredient or ingredients, while a further chamber is designed to receive accumulated condensate.

The frame is preferably made of a plastics material such as polyamide, ABS, PSA or a plastics composite material. The frame can also be made of a renewable raw material such as bamboo. It is also conceivable for the frame to be made of a biodegradable plastics material. Other possible materials for the frame are metals such as aluminum.

In one embodiment, the frame has a circumferential frame rim. An intermediate partition of the frame, by means of which two chambers are separated from one another, can be arranged within the frame rim. If, for example, five chambers are desired within the circumferential frame rim, they can be separated from one another by four intermediate partitions. An intermediate partition can interconnect two spaced-apart locations of the circumferential frame rim, dividing the area which the frame rim encloses. The intermediate partition can also meet other intermediate partitions within the circumferential frame rim or can be a connection between two other intermediate partitions.

At least one outer chamber can be provided which is arranged outside the circumferential frame rim. Due to the arrangement outside the frame rim, particularly clear separation from the chambers within the frame rim can be achieved. This can be advantageous if the outer chamber has a different function than the chambers within the frame rim.

Preferably, the frame rim is continuously convex, which leads to a compact design of the support element. The frame rim can have a concave constriction against which the outer chamber can rest. Apart from this concave constriction, the frame rim is preferably also continuously convex in this case.

A filling or composition of the outer chamber can differ from a filling or composition of the chambers located within the circumferential frame rim. For example, the chambers within the frame rim can be filled with the active ingredient, which is released when the steamer flows through the support element, in order to enrich the steam accordingly. The outer chamber, in contrast, can have a water-absorbing material such as a superabsorbent or a silicate.

In one embodiment, the support element has a textile fabric to form a chamber. The fabric can be filled, impregnated, printed or wetted with the (solid or liquid) active ingredient. Another possibility is that the fabric is filled with a support granulate, which in turn supports the active ingredient. The textile fabric can be woven, felted, or knitted. The active ingredient can be a fragrance, laundry starch or an oxygen-based active ingredient.

The frame can have two frame parts, between which the textile fabric is clamped. To clamp the fabric, the frame parts, which are initially separated from one another, are interconnected or placed one on top of the other with the fabric interposed. The frame parts can be connected by gluing or welding or by a latching connection.

In addition to the separation of the chambers by the above-described intermediate partitions of the frame, the chambers can alternatively or additionally be separated by separating means directly in or on the textile fabric. For example, these separating means can be a seam or a bonding line of the textile fabric.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is described in more detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows an attachment and parts of a steam generator;

FIG. 2 shows a holding element of the attachment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 schematically shows the attachment of FIG. 1 in a flipped-open state; and

FIGS. 4a-4d show various views of a support element according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Before going into more detail in respect of FIGS. 4a-4d , which show a support element according to the invention marked with reference sign 1, it is described with the aid of FIGS. 1 to 3 for what purpose and in what interaction with other components the support element 1 according to the invention is used.

FIG. 1 shows an attachment 2 which is fastened to a steam generator 100, of which only an application tip 101 can be seen in the representation in FIG. 1. A steam outlet opening of the application tip 101 is covered by the attachment 2 in the representation in FIG. 1. Hot steam that is generated by the steam generator 100 is passed through the channel-shaped or tubular application tip 101 and emerges from the steam outlet opening. The attachment 2 is permeable to steam. The steam emerging from the steam generator 100 thus flows through the attachment 2 to the outside. Further components of the steam generator 100, such as a water reservoir or a heating element for heating the water, are not shown in FIG. 1.

The attachment 2 comprises a front cover 10 made of plastics material and a holding element 20, preferably also made of plastics material, which is also shown separately in FIG. 2. The front cover 10 is rotatably connected about a pivot axis 3 to the holding element 20 via a hinge eye 11. The holding element comprises two spaced-apart hinge eyes 21 which laterally enclose the hinge eye 11 in the assembled state. The hinge eyes 11, 21 and a pin, which is guided through the openings in the eyes 11, 21, form a pivot joint between the front cover 10 and the holding element 20.

FIG. 1 shows the front cover 10 and the holding element 20 in a flipped-closed position. In this position, a latching tab 12 engages behind an edge 22 of the holding element 20 and thus secures the closed or flipped-closed position. In contrast to this, FIG. 3 shows the front cover 10 and the holding element 20 in a flipped-open state.

Together with the holding element 20, the front cover 10 delimits a receiving space for the exchangeable support element 1, which cannot be seen in FIG. 1 (but see FIGS. 4a-4d in this regard). The support element 1 is a planar element, and its spatial dimensions (length L and height H) are significantly larger in a main plane of extension than in a direction perpendicular to this main plane of extension (thickness D). The ratios L/D and H/D are both preferably greater than 3 or even greater than 5 or 7. In FIGS. 4b and 4d , the plane of the drawing lies in the main plane of extension. A preferred range for the length (in the direction of the horizontal plane in FIGS. 4a-4d ) extends from 100 to 150 mm. A preferred range for the height (in the direction of the vertical in FIGS. 4b and 4d ) is 50 to 100 mm.

The support element 1 is used to store an active ingredient. This active ingredient can be a fragrance, for example. If the support element 1 is located in the receiving space when the attachment 2 is placed on the application tip 101, the hot steam from the steam generator 100 flows through this support element 1 transversely to its main plane of extension. The support element 1 is designed in such a way that it releases the active ingredient to the steam flowing therethrough and thus enriches the steam with the active ingredient. The steam enriched in this way can be used in particular for the treatment of a piece of clothing, the active ingredient not being added to the steam until immediately before the steam hits the piece of clothing. To treat the piece of clothing, the application tip 101 with the attachment 2 mounted thereon is directed at the piece of clothing accordingly. The piece of clothing can thus be freshened up in a simple manner, with any bad smells being eliminated by the fragrance. Since the active ingredient is added to the steam immediately before the steamer hits the piece of clothing, the thermal load on the active ingredient can be reduced in comparison with an application known from the prior art in which the active ingredient is dissolved in the water which is heated to generate the steamer.

The arrows 4 in FIG. 1 are intended to illustrate how the hot steam from the steam generator 100 flows through the application tip 101 and the attachment 2. The hot steam emerges from a plurality of steam outlet openings 13 in the front cover 10. The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 has a total of nine steam outlet openings 13. The intersection openings 13 are arranged in an upper region of the front cover 10. In a lower region of the front cover 10 on an outer side 14 of the front cover 10, three elongate pressing elements 15 are arranged. Said elements protrude slightly from the outer side 14 of the front cover 10 and form a common pressing surface. Thus, the attachment 1 can also be used as a pressing iron to smooth the piece of clothing to be treated. The pressing elements are made of a material with high thermal conductivity, for example metal.

It should be noted that FIG. 1 shows the application tip 101 with the mounted attachment 2 in a basic orientation. The passage openings 13 are located above the pressing elements 15 and the front cover 10 lies approximately in a vertical plane. It is of course possible to deviate from this basic orientation by manually guiding the application tip accordingly. If the attachment 2 is to be used as a pressing iron, it may be that the attachment 2, together with the front cover 10, is directed downward and the front cover 10 then lies in a horizontal plane.

It is clear from FIG. 2 that the holding element 20 has a circumferential frame 23 having a flange 24. An unhindered flow of steam through the holding element 20 is thus possible. The shape of the surrounding frame 23 corresponds to the shape of an outer rim 16 of the front cover 10 (see also FIG. 3). In the closed position, the outer rim 16 of the front cover 12 encloses the flange 24. A separating partition 25 is integrally formed on the circumferential flange 24 and separates part of the oval or flow cross section, enclosed by the frame 23, of the holding element 20. The separating partition 25 branches off from the circumferential flange 24 in a lower region, i.e., where the hinge eyes 21 are attached, then extends approximately radially inwardly in a first portion, extends so as to be spaced apart and approximately parallel to the flange 24 in a second portion, and finally extends radially outwardly again in a third portion, so that said partition meets the flange 24 again.

The outer rim 16 of the front cover encloses an area which corresponds to the flow cross section of the applicator tip 101. The area is preferably in a range of from 40 to 100 cm².

FIG. 3 shows the front cover 10 and the holding element 20 in the flipped-open state, with an inner side 17 of the front cover now being visible in the representation of FIG. 3. The inner side 17 faces the receiving space for the support element 1.

A separating wall 18 is provided on the inner side 17, the course of which wall corresponds to the partition 25 of the holding element 20. This means that, in the flipped-closed state, the separating wall 18 and the separating partition 25 lie one above the other and substantially completely overlap. The separating wall 18 also has two lateral openings or apertures 18 a. Any condensate that forms on the inner side 17 of the front cover 10 can, in the usual basic orientation of the application tip 101 with the attachment 2 placed thereon, pass through the apertures 18 a into a condensate collection space 19, which is delimited by the separating wall 18 and a lower portion of the outer rim 16 (portion between the connections for the separating wall 18).

FIGS. 4a-4d shows the support element 1 comprising a frame 30 which has a circumferential frame rim 31. The frame rim 31 also has an oval basic shape which is slightly smaller than the outer rim 16 of the front cover 10, so that the support element 1, when it is located in the receiving space, rests with the frame rim 31 against the outer edge 16 from the inside. If the holding element 20 is flipped closed after the support element 1 has been inserted into the receiving space, the flange 24 of the holding element 20 presses against the side 32 of the support element 1 visible in FIGS. 4a and 4d . Thus, the support element 1 is fixed in the receiving space by the front cover 10 and by the holding element 30. Centering elevations 33 on the side 32 ensure that the support element 1 is precisely aligned relative to the holding element 20 or to the flange 24. When the front cover 10 and the holding element 20 are in the flipped-closed state, the centering elevations 33 rest against the flange 24 from the inside, viewed in the radial direction.

The support element 1 has a plurality of chambers, the chambers lying within the circumferential frame rim being designated by reference sign 34 and an outer chamber lying outside the circumferential frame rim being designated by reference sign 35 (not shown in FIG. 4a ). The frame rim 31 has a constriction 36 which has substantially the same shape as the separating wall 18 of the front cover 10 and the separating partition 25 of the holding element 20. In the flipped-closed state of the components 10, 20, the separating wall 18 and the separating partition 25 rest one on each side of this constriction 36. The outer chamber 35 can thus be arranged in the condensate collection space 19 of the front cover 10.

The chambers 34, 35 comprise a textile fabric 37 which is indicated as dashed lines in FIGS. 4b to 4d in the case of the outer chamber 35 and only in FIG. 4c in the case of the inner chambers 34. The textile fabric 37 can be woven, felted, or knitted. The textile fabric 37 is then preferably soaked or wetted with the active ingredient. Another possibility is that the textile fabric 37 is filled with a support granulate that supports the active ingredient.

The outer chamber 35 has a special role. The chamber 35 can include material that can bind water (for example a superabsorbent). Condensate that forms on the inner side 17 of the front cover 10 and flows along the inner side 17 through the apertures 18 a can thus be chemically bonded through the outer chamber located in the condensate collection space 19.

The frame 30 has a plurality of intermediate partitions 38, 39 through which the chambers 34 are separated. The intermediate partitions 38 are intermediate partitions which extend between two points of the circumferential frame rim 31. The intermediate partition 39, in contrast, extends from the circumferential frame rim 31 to another intermediate partition 38.

The support element 1 is mirror-symmetrical to a central longitudinal axis (extends in the vertical direction of FIGS. 4b to 4d ). Correspondingly, the chambers 34, 35 and the intermediate partitions 38, 39 also follow this mirror symmetry, as a result of which the support element 1 has a pleasing and tidy design.

The support element 1, together with the frame 30 and the textile fabric 37, can be produced by an entire fabric being placed between two frame halves, which are then joined together to form the frame 30. In the region of the circumferential frame rim 31 and the intermediate partitions 38, 39, the textile fabric 37 is practically completely compressed, so that bulbous spaces (see FIG. 3c ) for material receiving the active ingredient or the condensate are produced only between the intermediate partitions 38, 39 and the circumferential frame rim 31.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

-   -   1 Support element     -   2 Attachment     -   3 Pivot axis     -   4 Arrow (steam)     -   10 Front cover     -   11 Hinge eye     -   12 Latching tab     -   13 Steam passage opening     -   14 Outer side     -   15 Pressing element     -   16 Outer rim     -   17 Inner side     -   17 Outer rim     -   18 Separating wall with apertures 18 a     -   19 Condensate collection space     -   20 Holding element     -   21 Hinge eye     -   22 Edge     -   23 Frame     -   24 Flange     -   25 Separating partition     -   30 Frame     -   31 Frame rim     -   52 Edge     -   31 Frame rim     -   32 Side     -   33 Centering elevation     -   34 Chamber     -   35 Outer chamber     -   36 Constriction     -   37 Textile fabric     -   38 Intermediate partition     -   39 Intermediate partition     -   100 Steam generator     -   101 Application tip 

What is claimed is:
 1. A support element for an active ingredient for treating a piece of clothing, the support element being designed to have a hot steam flowing therethrough transversely to a main extension plane and to enrich the steam with the active ingredient in the process, wherein the support element has a structure-stabilizing frame extending in the main plane and at least two chambers which are separated from one another, the active ingredient being stored in at least one of the chambers.
 2. The support element according to claim 1, wherein the frame has a circumferential frame rim.
 3. The support element according to claim 2, wherein the frame has at least one intermediate partition arranged within the frame rim, by means of which partition two chambers are separated from one another.
 4. The support element according to claim 2, wherein at least one outer chamber is provided, which is arranged outside the circumferential frame rim.
 5. The support element according to claim 4, wherein the frame has a concave constriction against which the outer chamber rests.
 6. The support element according to claim 4, wherein a filling or composition of the outer chamber differs from a filling or composition of chambers located within the circumferential frame rim.
 7. The support element according to claim 4, wherein the outer chamber has a water-absorbing material.
 8. The support element according to claim 1, wherein a textile fabric is provided.
 9. The support element according to claim 8, wherein the textile fabric is filled, soaked, printed or wetted with the active ingredient (support granulate).
 10. The support element according to claim 8, wherein the frame is also composed of two frame halves, between which the textile fabric is clamped.
 11. The support element according to claim 7, wherein the separation between two chambers takes place by seaming or gluing the textile fabric. 